Car-coupling.



No. 792,507. PATENTED JUNE 13, 1905.

' G. L. DUNDEY.

CAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28,1905.

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lNiTED STATES Patented June 13, 1905.

CHARLES L. DUNDEY, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,507, dated June 13,1905.

Application filed February 28,1905. Serial 1%. 247,728.

To all whom, z'tmay concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. DUNDEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplers; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic car-couplers, andmore particularly to means for throwing a knuckle of a coupler to anopen condition and for maintaining the same in such condition.

The object in view is the provision of means applicable to any of thecouplers now on the market for automatically opening a knuckle andmaintaining the same in an open condition.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents a top plan view ofacoupler embodying the features of the present invention, parts beingbroken away for disclosing interior structure and the knuckle beingshown in its closed condition. Fig. 2 represents asimilar view of thesame with the knuckle in its open condition. 3 represents adetailedfragmentary view illustrating a modified form of Fig. arepresents adetailed fragmcntaryview illustrating a further modification.

This invention involves aspring for throwing the knuckle to an opencondition when released, and I wish it understood that I am aware thatvarious attempts have been made to provide a spring designed for thispurpose and that, as far as I am aware, the use of springs heretoforehas not been found practicable. In order to produce a practicalconstruction which is applicable to any of the couplers now on themarket and which will not require any great modification for itsadoption, I propose to employ a structure embodying the inventiondisclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which 1 indicates an ordinarytype of automatic car-coupler head, and 2 the coupler-pin therefor. Tothe head 1 is pivoted the usual knuckle 3, provided with the ordinarytailpiece 4.

The elements mentioned thus far are all old and well known and may be ofany preferred type, it being common to arrange the pin 2 in suchposition as to automatically drop When the knuckle is closed toaposition for locking the knuckle in such closed condition. To thisconstruction I propose to add means for throwing the knuckle to an openposition when the pin 2 is raised and for maintaining the same in suchopen position under ordinary circum- 6 stances, such means consisting inthe provision of a spring 5 of the conical type positioned with its baseresting against the tailpiece 4. and connected therewith in any desiredmanner, a very slight recess 6 being pref- 5 erabl y provided forreceiving such base. The apex of the spring 5 extends toward the easingof the head 1, and said casing is preferably apertured, as at 7, throughwhich aperture extends the rod 8, formed of and projecting from the apexend of the spring 5, such rod 8 being threaded and provided with a nut9, engaging the inner surface of the casing of head 1 for preventingoutward movement of the spring, and a plate 10 being mounted on theprojecting end of the rod 8 outside the casing and the nut 11 beingthreaded onto the projecting end of the rod 8 for retaining the partsagainst movement. Of

course a suitable cotter 12 may be passed 0 through the projecting endof the rod 8 for preventing displacement of the nut 11, or any suitablemeans may be provided for locking the nut against movement.

As seen in Fig. 3, the nut 11 and plate 10 may be omitted and a cotter13 may be employed for retaining the parts in position.

The spring 5, While described and illustrated as conical, is in additionin the nature of a volute spring, except that the spring is pref- 9oerably not made flat, although of course a flat spring might beemployed, the chief object in making the spring conical being to providefor the spring assuming a very compact condition, as illustrated in Fig.1, the spring and tailpiece 4 no recess is necessary at all. I

. coupler is connected.

It will be observed that by the use of this particular form of springall the advantages obtained from the use of a spring for throwing theknuckle to an open condition are socured, while the disadvantages ofweakening the parts, altering the construction of the head, or exposingthe spring to the action of the elements are not met with. It will beobserved, of course, that by providing the spring 5 when the pin 2 israised for releasing the knuckle 3 the-knuckle will be thrown from thespring from the position illustrated in Fig. 1 to the positionillustrated in Fig. 3, and the knuckle 3 will be held in such positionregardless of jarring to which the knuckle may be subjected duringshifting of the car to which the Of course when a second coupler isbrought to a position for having the knuckle strike the tailpiece of theknuckle 3 the same will swing readily to its closed position and permitthe pin 2 to drop to a locking position.

As seen in Fig. I, it is possible to reverse the position of the spring,the spring 5, (illustrated in said ligure,) being positioned with itsapexcontacting with the tailpiece of the knuckle and its base restingagainst the cars ing of the coupler-head. The end of the rodconstituting the spring may be extended from the base through the wallof the head, as illustrated in Fig. 4, or the spring may be secured inposition in any preferred manner.

The particular construction of spring above described is in the natureof a volute spring which acts longitudinally-that is to say, the springacts at right angles to the plane of its coils, and the movement of thespring when released is in the nature of a longitudinal thrust.

IV hat I claim is 1. In a car-coupler, the combination with a head, aknuckle pivoted thereto, and a tailpiece carried by said knuckle, of alongitudinally-acting volute spring interposed between said tailpieceand head for throwing the tailpiece outward when released.

2. In a coupler, the combination with a head, and a knuckle pivotall yconnected thereto, of a conical spring interposed between said knuckleand said head for maintaining the knuckle in an open condition whenreleased, the larger coils of said spring being designed to inclose thesmaller coils thereof when compressed.

3. In a coupler, the combination of a head, and a knuckle pivotallyconnected thereto, of a conical spring interposed between said head andknuckle, and having its base contacting with the knuckle and its apexextended toward said head, the smaller coils of said spring beingdesigned to be inclosed by the larger coils thereof when compressed.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

CHARLES L. DUNDEY.

I/Vitnesses:

EDWARD 'I. FENWICK, JonN L. FLETCHER.

